Silent Nights in a World of Noise
by Sunburned-Stickperson
Summary: Alex and Desmond have always had a relationship. Let it never be said it was as rough as people think it is.


Alex staggered along, feeling himself melting as he staggered into the ruined building. He was exhausted. The flight across the ocean had made him restless and jumpy, and the fact he had been on the move for almost a week now with no down time was making this harder than it should've been. Even as a virus, he needed rest. He could feel his arm disintegrating as he trudged down the (fucking long) path to get to his lover. He staggered into in the Sanctuary area Desmond had written him about, and he immediately found his lover lying on that chair thing, his eyes closed and muscles twitching, and damn if he didn't look utterly inviting.

He wandered over, feeling his other arm melt as he collapsed on top of Desmond. There was a loud warning noise, followed by "Desynchronization in progress," and then he felt a hand on top his deteriorating back. The virus swallowed it, letting it sink in as he let himself go into his most vulnerable and purest stage. He could hear the panicked chatter in the background, and he let his head dissolve as he rested against his lover, the one man he felt safe against. He could feel Desmond's fingers worming around inside him, and he oozed to cover up to the elbow as he swallowed down to his knees.

"A-Alex?"

He could hear a thick Italian accent marring his words, and he wondered when, exactly, Desmond had gained an accent, but if it had anything to do with the letter he had sent, he'd just have to ask once he was over that harrowing journey across the ocean. He didn't respond, perfectly content where he was as he let himself continue to unravel. Red and black ropes of virus were now covering all of his torso and most of his arms and legs. He could feel Desmond's fingers wiggling inside of him, and it felt nice. He could hear the man's heartbeat, and he was content, listening to the life in his veins and the feel of the flesh in himself.

"Alex. You got my letter."

"Letter? Desmond?" It was a female voice.

He could feel Desmond smile, and it felt wonderful as he oozed over the bottom of his chin and crawled to the corners of his eyes.

"We, uh, met before he turned into… this… and since we were both paranoid idiots, we devised a secret code. After he turned into… this… we became lovers, and I told him if I ever went into hiding, I'd write him."

"What a ridiculous thing to do, Desmond! How much stupider can you get?"

"Look, I sent it about a week ago under the penname 'Desireé Rhoades' to my lover."

"And what is this 'secret code'?" the British man spoke.

"There are certain words we have that correlate to a letter. We use those letters in turn, and paragraphs are spaces. Look, now that he's here, we don't have to worry. We're safe from anything they throw at us."

"How is that?"

"I'll tell you—"

"I missed you," he murmured as he reformed his head and pressed a kiss to his neck, reveling in the pulse of his heart. "I missed you so much."

He could feel those arms tighten in him as he reformed his arms and let them lay uselessly at his sides.

"I missed coming home from a night defending Manhattan and having you come out to the deck in your bathrobe, and curling up with you in the rocking chair, surrounding you with myself and keeping you warm."

He felt Desmond smile again, and he let his arms dissolve again.

"I missed cuddling with you like that on those warm nights, holding you in me, watching the snow fall as we rocked outside. You were always such a pleasant feeling to hold so close."

He could feel those arms shift as he let most of head dissolve, leaving only the sound of the voice to ring out.

"And when you would fall asleep as we rocked, underneath the falling snow, and I would carry you back in and curl up with you in the bed. I've been lonely since Dana moved out with her boyfriend. I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Alex."

He reformed and sat back, feeling slightly better after reassuring himself that Desmond was alive and breathing. He studied his lover, taking in his facial features as he watched him sit up and pull him in for a kiss. It was slow and chaste. When they finally pulled back, he had the start of a smile on his lips.

"I suppose now is a good time to catch up," he murmured, running a hand through Desmond's hair.

Desmond grinned. "Yeah. Probably. There's a lot to catch up on."

Alex scoffed and smirked. "And I'm never letting you go again."

"I expected some possessiveness on the part of the world's biggest threat."

Alex grinned, almost manically, as Desmond crawled into his lap.

"I'm just glad you're here. I could use something to ground me. I missed you."

Alex's expression softened, and he wrapped his arms around the man, holding him tightly and burying his nose in his hair. "I missed you, too."

**Silent Night in a World of Noise:**

Desmond stood inside, watching the snow fall. He had just gotten done with his shift in the bar and had walked to the small apartment where he and Alex lived. Dana and her boyfriend lived nearby, and he often said good night to them before he turned into for the night. Their apartment was at the top of one many complexes, and they had a decent view of the sky. He could see the snow falling softly, one of the select few times Desmond enjoyed the winter. As he stood in the silence of the living room, he felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. He missed Alex.

Tonight, however, was different. His boyfriend was doing his nightly rounds, and he was due back soon. He watched the deck, waiting for Alex to appear as he normally did, and he'd go outside and sit on the rocking chair with him. They did that often in the winter, when it wasn't in a blizzard. They loved to watch the snow fall, and he did enjoy being with his lover. The man was a heater.

There was a soft thump outside, and he looked, a soft smile blooming as he saw his lover straighten and look at him. He watched as Alex sat in the chair and gave him a look, and Desmond opened the deck door, shivering in the chilly air as he closed it and paced over, settling in his lap and leaning against him. He smiled as those tendrils wrapped around him, surrounding him in warmth. He could feel two strong arms wrapped around him as he sunk into his lover's body. Alex kissed his head, and he hummed.

He turned enough to nuzzle under his chin, and he looked at the sky, feeling the virus cover part of his head. He could see the snow fall from the sky, and he felt complete right there, in the silence of the night, the noises of the city far below them unheard as they rocked under the soft snow. The clouds were lit by the city, and Desmond was happy, warmed by the fast metabolism of the virus and feeling the soft kisses scattered over his head. He could feel his lover's breath as he breathed in and out against his hair, and he closed his eyes.

The snow landed softly on the uncovered part of his face, and he could feel himself slowly drift off into slumber. He was vaguely aware of Alex rising and carrying him inside, tucking him in and spooning against him in the satin sheets.

Life was good.

**The Comfort of Protection:**

Sometimes, when Alex would be gone for more than just several hours at a time, he would shed the outer layer of his biomass and give it to him to keep him close. It also served as a tracking device, since they both knew the Templars and the assassins were looking for him. And so, when Alex was called away to a military base for several days, he gave him a cool white hoodie with a red interior. There was an eagle "embroidered" on the back, and there was netting on either side to let him see out of the hood. He smiled as he pulled it on and kissed his lover goodbye, yelping in surprise when Alex pulled him flush against him and kissed him fiercely.

As he was backed against the wall, he briefly mused on the fact that this felt like a romantic drama: the hungry, desperate kiss and the rough, warm touches. He knew he would see his lover again. Even if the man had to fight Hell and high water to get back to him, he knew that Alex would return. He knew he'd feel those hands on him another day. It was the chorus of voices, of memories, that Alex had taken, that would persist in his return, kept their love passionate and true. Their kiss grew heavy and sloppy, and by the time he pulled back, they were both panting and ruffled and flushed.

"I love you."

"I love you too, babe. You won't be gone for too long, will you?"

"Of course not. It's only a couple days."

"Good. I'll wear your hoodie skin until you get back."

"It suits you."

"I can change it at will, right?"

"If you really want to."

"Well, I don't, but if I absolutely had to."

There was a soft chuckle, and he leaned into the kiss at the corner of his mouth, which slowly turned into something heavier, but Desmond pulled back and shook his head.

"You gotta get going, babe."

Desmond smiled as Alex pulled him into a crushing hug, then gave him one last, longing upset look, and left. He could feel the biomass hoodie squirming against his skin, and he smiled, rubbing his hands over it and hoping that Alex could feel it. He spent the day asleep, having stayed up an extra four hours after his graveyard shift to bid him farewell, but he was warm and safe in his new hoodie.

Even as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop to escape the Templar bastards that had been waiting, even as he felt the bullets try to pierce his hoodie, even as the needle sunk into his skin and caused him to black out, he knew that he would be safe. He knew that he would be found. He knew that he was loved, and that he had something that would protect him.


End file.
